1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting device to be mounted on a vehicle, particularly to a technology of illuminating two different directions with a light guiding lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
A traditional vehicle lighting device to be mounted on a vehicle includes a single lens for achieving a primary light distribution (a base light distribution) in the forward direction of the lighting device and a secondary light distribution in a direction different from the forward direction of the lighting device (See Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-203591, for example).
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, a back lamp for illuminating the backward direction of the vehicle includes an inner lens. The inner lens has an upper half functioning as a reversing lamp for the primary light distribution from a light source to emit light in the forward direction of the lighting device (the backward direction of the vehicle) and a lower half, functioning as a lamp for the secondary light distribution, from which the light emitted from the light source is made to exit in an obliquely downward direction to illuminate the road behind the vehicle. The upper and lower halves of the inner lens, which function as light exits, are wholly exposed at an opening with a predetermined opening width in an extension.
If the light exit for the secondary light distribution is simply disposed, like the above traditional vehicle lighting device, to the light illuminating direction side with respect to the light exit for the primary light distribution, e.g. adjacent to or below the light exit for the primary light distribution as shown in FIG. 5B, such a configuration requires an opening with a large width for exposing both the light exits at the front of the lighting device. In detail, both the upper and lower halves of the inner lens should be exposed at the opening in the extension, despite only the light form the upper half of the inner lens for the primary light distribution is visible in a front view of the lighting device. Such a configuration precludes a reduction in the opening width.